. purdue University	Miraeo A.H. 173
Agricultural Experiment Station Lafayette, Indiana
1	FORAGE UTILIZATION STUDIES WITH THE BEEF COW HERD
|	ON THE SOUTHERN INDIANA FORAGE FARM
Wintering the Beef Cow Herd 1955-1956
R.C. Peterson, W.M. Beeson, M.E. Heath, G.O. Mott and T.W. Perry* Department of Animal Husbandry
After adapted species of grasses and legumes have been established, the utilization of the forage is of extreme importance. A program based upon the production of beef cattle that will utilize the forage produced will make possible a greater profit from the grasses and legumes as well as maintain and improve the organic fertility of the soil.
A successful commercial beef cow herd operation demands a winter feeding and management program that is:	(l) economical, (2) practically free from death loss,
and (3) satisfactory for maximum growth of the calves.
Due to the very nature of the climate in Southern Indiana, it is possible to have abundant forage growth in the spring. If we are going to utilize this growth efficiently, we must store it to feed during the winter and during periods of , summer drouth when pastures are least productive. One of the most effective methods of preserving the nutrients in harvested grasses and legumes is by ensiling.
^ Much information concerning grass silage has been gathered during the past several years, but there is yet much to be done before our techniques for making grass silage will be perfected. Three fundamental principles must be followed to produce grass silage which is high in nutritional value and palatable so far as the animal is concerned. They are:
(1)	Cut the forage at the proper stage of maturity.
(2)	Do a thorough job of packing so that the air is excluded.
(3)	Have enough available carbohydrate or sugar present so that adequate organic acids are produced. These organic acids stop the growth of harmful bacteria.
At this time very little research has been conducted in which grass silage has been the only source of feed available to pregnant and lactating beef cows. Previous research with steers (Mimeos A.H. 106, 126, 1^5) has shown that very poor Sains were realized from grass silage made without a preservative unless it was ^sd with grain or a protein supplement. Probably one of the limiting factors in grass-legume silage made without a preservative is sugars or starches. Without these carbohydrates, the animal is unable to utilize the silage efficiently.
This experiment was designed:	(l) to compare the feeding value of three
Jdnds of silage (sudan, vetch-cereal and barley-clover) as the principal constituent
* Project 795